1. Technical Field
This invention relates to methods and apparatuses for heating a predetermined volume of water to a desired temperature, for example warm water for use in the preparation of infant formula milk or other infant food.
2. Background Information
The current manufacturing technology does not make it feasible to produce and store sterile powdered infant formula, which is subsequently used to make infant formula milk. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on preparation of infant formula milk (“Safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula: Guidelines”, WHO, 2007) therefore recommend that the powdered infant formula is reconstituted by mixing it with water that has a temperature of greater than 70° C. in order to sterilize the powdered infant formula which can become contaminated with harmful bacteria such as Enterobacter Sakazakii and Salmonella Enterica.
Presently powdered infant formula or infant food is typically reconstituted by using water that was recently boiled in a kettle in order to sterilize the powdered infant formula and then allowing the liquid to cool to a temperature suitable for giving to the infant—e.g. typically approximately body temperature or a few degrees higher. However, this is a time-consuming operation and it can be difficult to judge the correct temperature accurately.
Even if the infant formula milk is not sterilized before administration using very hot water (e.g. >70° C.), it is still desirable to prepare the formula so that the milk has a final temperature around body temperature e.g. 37 ° C. when it is administered to an infant. In practice this often means that the preparation must be left to cool to the desired final temperature after mixing warm or hot water with the formula. There is no reliable way to immediately reconstitute the powdered formula at the right temperature. Although cold water can be added to a preparation to speed up the cooling process, there is a risk of the cold water not being sterile and this can affect the correct dosage as well as the final temperature.
There remains a need for an improved method of dispensing a controlled volume of warm water at a controlled temperature for the reconstitution of infant formula milk, infant food, and other purposes.